OPINION
Marcelo Bielsa must place his faith in Leeds United rookie Jamie Shackleton against QPR this weekend after the club’s latest injury calamity.
The United manager will have to re-shape his back line to an even greater degree than imagined as long-time defensive absentees Luke Ayling and Gaetano Berardi have been joined on the hurt list by Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas.
BBC Radio Leeds correspondent Adam Pope explained in a Twitter post on Wednesday afternoon that Dallas has joined the walking wounded after fracturing a bone in his foot and will be out until the new year.
? Leeds due out for up to 6 weeks
??? Leeds United captain Liam Cooper (knee) & right back Stuart Dallas (foot) out for up to 6 weeks.
?? Cooper has undergone surgery whilst Dallas has a fractured foot. Cooper expected to back in under 6 weeks. Dallas out for 4-6 weeks. #LUFC pic.twitter.com/zHP4xw7ONs
— Adam Pope (@apopey) December 5, 2018
It means Leeds will take to the Elland Road pitch on Saturday without two of Bielsa’s three first choice centre-backs (Cooper and Berardi) as well as his three top choices for the right-back role (Ayling, Berardi and Dallas).
The Northern Ireland international has spent most of his career in attacking positions but has been a steady eddie at full-back over the last month or so, first at left-back and then at right-back.
A place has now opened up on the right side of the defence and this should be filled by rising star Shackleton.
The United academy product has made only nine appearances for the club, including just a single league start, playing the full 90 minutes at right-back against Swansea in August back when Championship sides didn’t know what had hit them from Leeds.
Shackleton has been used at right-back in Under-23s matches, as well as in his favoured central midfield slot as a substitute in three of Leeds senior side’s last five league games.
Bielsa has showed he is not afraid of trusting in youth and the many exciting young players on the club’s books.
Shackleton’s blistering pace and attacking qualities could add an exciting new dimension to a Leeds site that are suddenly alarmingly short of senior defensive options, even by the standards of this season.